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Stone Barrington is in Bel-Air, overseeing the grand opening of the ultra-luxe hotel, The Arrington, built on the grounds of the mansion belonging to his late wife, Arrington Carter.
The star-studded gala will be attended by socialites, royalty, and billionaires from overseas . . . and according to phone conversations intercepted by the NSA, it may also have attracted the attention of international terrorists. To ensure the safety of his guests—and the city of Los Angeles—Stone may have to call in a few favors from his friends at the CIA. . . .
Stuart Wood's 50th book pits the indefatigable Stone Barrington against a nest of terrorists who are insanely determined to turn the opening of a luxurious Bel-Air hotel into a bloodbath. Intense and then more intense; now in mass-market paperback and NOOK Book.
STUART WOODS is the author of fifty novels, including the New York Times–bestselling Stone Barrington and Holly Barker series. He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in New York City, Florida, and Maine.
However, despite his best intentions, Woods got sidetracked in Ireland. He was nearly 100 pages into a novel when he discovered the seductive pleasures of sailing. "Everything went to hell," he quips on his web site "All I did was sail." He bought a boat, learned everything he could about celestial navigation, and competed in the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) in 1976, finishing respectably in the middle of the fleet. (Later, he took part in the infamous Fastnet Race of 1979, a yachting competition that ended tragically when a huge storm claimed the lives of 15 sailors and 4 observers. Woods and his crew emerged unharmed.)
Returning to the U.S., Woods wrote two nonfiction books: an account of his transatlantic sailing adventures (Blue Water, Green Skipper) and a travel guide he claims to have written on a whim. But the book that jump-started his career was the opus interruptus begun in Ireland. An absorbing multigenerational mystery set in a small southern town, Chiefs was published in 1981, went on to win an Edgar Award, and was subsequently turned into a television miniseries starring Charlton Heston.
An amazingly prolific author, Woods has gone on to pen dozens of compelling thrillers, juggling stand-alone novels with installments in four successful series. (His most popular protagonists are New York cop-turned-attorney Stone Barrington, introduced in 1991's New York Dead, and plucky Florida police chief Holly Barker, who debuted in 1998's Orchid Beach.) His pleasing mix of high-octane action, likable characters, and sly, subversive humor has made him a hit with readers -- who have returned the favor by propelling his books to the top of the bestseller lists.
His first job was in advertising at BBDO in New York, and his first assignment was to write ads for CBS-TV shows. He recalls: "They consisted of a drawing of the star and one line of exactly 127 characters, including spaces, and I had to write to that length. It taught me to be concise."
He flies his own airplane, a single-engine turboprop called a Jetprop, and tours the country every year in it, including book tours.
He's a partner in a 1929 motor yacht called Belle and spends two or three weeks a year aboard her.
In 1961-62, Woods spent 10 months in Germany with the National Guard at the height of the Berlin Wall Crisis.
In October and November of 1979, he skippered a friend's yacht back across the Atlantic, with a crew of six, calling at the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands and finishing at Antigua in the Caribbean.
Anonymous
Posted September 29, 2012
This was my first and last experience with Stone Barrington books. The plot was lame as thevstory built up to a vast amount of absolute nothingness. The characters seemed like play-doh with no personality behind them. Save your money and get a Lee Childs book instead. I wish I had. I second the reader who would give negativevstars.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 4, 2012
I have read all of Stuart Woods' Stone Barrington novels, and like them all. They're not rocket science, but they are usually a quick, good read. This one was embarssingly awful. The plot was ridiculous. Don't buy this, don't even borrow it from the library. Your time has value. This one isn't deserving.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 25, 2012
I wish you blamed children woukd go elsewhere for your stupid games. This is a site for BOOK REVIEWS not cat games. This is for ADULTS who wish to discuss books, not have to go thru endless posts about cats, clans and kitty litter. GO AWAY?
4 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 22, 2012
Is there a negative number for stars! Weak story and we have read all these books. Wraps up plot in 5 pages. Not worth the time or money!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 4, 2012
Worst stuart woods book i ever read
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 13, 2013
I have read/listened to every book Stuart Woods has published. After DC Dead I decided to stop. I was taking a trip and decided to listen to Unnatural Acts and really liked it.
Then I bought Severe Clear and it was even worse than DC Dead. There wasn't enough plot to make an adequate short story and the "conflict" was just stupid.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 23, 2012
I have read all of Stuart Woods books. This one was a blend of all his characters (except Teddy Fay) but none seemed to do much. Dino, Holly, Felicity, Peter, Ben etc. just seemed to be thrown in to fill space. The "bad guys" characters were not developed either. I was very disappointed. There was no flow. Having bought ALL of Stuart's past books I may say that he's out of ideas so this may be the last one that I purchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 17, 2013
I wanna die.
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Posted May 18, 2013
NO. YOU ARE NOT STUPID. YOUARE GOING TO LIVE.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.dad8274
Posted April 19, 2013
Good quick read not his best
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Posted April 14, 2013
I am hooked on the stone barrington books .
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Posted March 22, 2013
i have read lee childs but after he used tom cruise as the main person in a movie i will never read another book lee childs has written ever again ruined the books for me
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Posted February 20, 2013
Another Stone Barrington novel. A great read. The Arrington Hotel is finally set to open and all the major players are there. Behind the scene, excitment and anxiety grow.
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Posted February 17, 2013
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0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 29, 2013
Another good Stone Barrington novel
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 16, 2013
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0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 17, 2012
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0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 13, 2012
Excellent - Comparable to his other books - Good read.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 27, 2012
good book as always by this author
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 21, 2012
I usually find Stuart Woods books enjoyable, a quick read, and am sorry when the story comes to an end. This particular one was just the opposite and clearly one of his stories that needed more umph. I enjoyed his previous one "DC Dead" much more and it was more of the type of stories that Woods is capable of. I will continue to try his books unless they start to be written in a similar pattern and then I will probably not spend any more money on this author
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Overview
Stone Barrington is in Bel-Air, overseeing the grand opening of the ultra-luxe hotel, The Arrington, built on the grounds of the mansion belonging to his late wife, Arrington Carter.
The star-studded gala will be attended by socialites, royalty, and billionaires from overseas . . . and according to phone conversations intercepted by the NSA, it may also have attracted the attention of international terrorists. To ensure the safety of his guests—and the city of Los Angeles—Stone ...